Clown gobies with SPS?

[1eyedjyde]

I currently have a green clown goby that doesn't bother my space but I had two yellow clowns that ate the polips off my sps.

[Slyguy00]

If you go to google and type in clown goby under images, 90% of the pictures are of them sitting on or in various corals haha. Im not sure how reef safe they are.

[chaoticbliss]

http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2012/...ll-herbivores/

A great artical about green clown goby.

[MarieH]

I got a citron and he loved a millepora to death, managed to frag a bit, so no sps more until he's gone, but beautiful and sociable fish. Much prettier than some sps anyway.

[Taipan]

+1 On the above article. It's very much a symbiotic relationship similar to clownfish and anemone.

I don't have issues with my Yellow/Citron goby. However it IS true that of the acros that I do have (I'm mainly an LPS hobbyist); the polyps do NOT extend as much as they should in theory. The goby will swim and "hop" from SPS to SPS. Once it perches on a piece the polyps naturally close up.

I've never observed the goby actually nip or munch on my SPS. Also; take into consideration that my SPS aren't large colonies either. Since Yellow/Citron/Clown (acro gobies in general) have huge acro homes in the wild; we as hobbyists see the 'irritation' of closed polyps in a much smaller environment - it's more pronounced.

They are cute and full of character. Unless you have large SPS colonies; you will notice closed polyps.

I think it's also worth noting that having more than one of these gobies in your system could be an issue for SPS lovers. When and if they mate.....the eggs are known to irritate the corals to which they are attached to.